Arrangement for automatically cleaning teat cups of a rotary milking platform

Abstract

An arrangement for automatically cleaning teat cups of a rotary milking platform includes i) a cleaning device at the side of the platform, the cleaning device having a movable part provided with an outlet opening through which a cleaning fluid is supplied to the teat cups; and ii) a positioning unit arranged to provide positioning of the cleaning device to a cleaning position in which the cleaning device is able to supply the cleaning medium from the outlet opening to the teat cups, the positioning unit adapted to provide a positioning of the movable part of the cleaning device in relation to the teat cups from an inactive position on the side of the platform to an active position in which the movable part extends in over the platform towards the teat cups to the cleaning position.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. An arrangement for automatically cleaning teat cups ( 7 ) of a rotary milking platform ( 2 ) having plural milking stalls ( 3 ) provided with teat cups ( 7 ), the arrangement comprising:
 a control unit ( 11 ); 
 a teat cups storing device ( 8 ,  8   a ) for holding teat cups ( 7 ) of a milking stall ( 3 ) in a first storing position with the teat cups ( 7 ) available for use in milking an animal ( 1 ) in the milking stall ( 3 ); 
 a cleaning device located at a side of the platform ( 2 ) and provided with a fluid outlet opening ( 30   a ), 
 the cleaning device ( 10 ) adapted to clean at least one of the teat cups ( 7 ) of the milking stall ( 3 ) when the platform ( 2 ) has reached a predetermined rotational position, under control of the control unit ( 11 ) and in a second cleaning position with the teat cups storing device ( 8 ,  8   a ) positioned in a cleaning relationship to the cleaning device ( 10 ) in which the cleaning device ( 10 ) is able to supply a cleaning medium from the outlet opening ( 30   a ) to the one teat cup ( 7 ); and 
 a positioning unit arranged to, under control of the control unit ( 11 ), move one of the cleaning device ( 10 ) and teat cups storing device ( 8 ,  8   a ) so that the cleaning device ( 10 ) and teat cups storing device ( 8 ,  8   a ) are in the second cleaning position for cleaning the teat cups. 
 
     
     
       2. The arrangement of  claim 1 , wherein,
 the cleaning device ( 10 ) comprising a movable part ( 19 ) provided with the fluid outlet opening ( 30   a ); and 
 wherein the positioning unit is adapted to provide a positioning of the movable part ( 19 ) of the cleaning device ( 10 ) in relation to the teat cups ( 7 ) from an inactive position on the side of the platform to an active position in which the movable part ( 19 ) extends in over the platform towards the teat cups to the second cleaning position. 
 
     
     
       3. The arrangement according to  claim 2 , further wherein the teat cups storing device ( 8 ) is arranged in one of the group consisting of i) at a radially outer edge portion ( 2   b ) of the platform ( 2 ) and ii) at a radially inner portion ( 2   a ) of the platform ( 2 ). 
     
     
       4. The arrangement according to  claim 2 , wherein the positioning unit comprises a cylinder member ( 23 ,  33 ) arranged to provide the positioning of the cleaning device ( 10 ) to the cleaning position. 
     
     
       5. The arrangement according to  claim 4 , wherein the positioning unit comprises guiding surfaces ( 34 ) adapted to guide the cleaning device ( 10 ) during the positioning to the cleaning position. 
     
     
       6. The arrangement according to  claim 1 , wherein the cleaning device ( 10 ) is arranged to supply the cleaning medium to an outer surface of the one teat cup ( 7 ). 
     
     
       7. The arrangement according to  claim 1 , wherein the cleaning device ( 10 ) is arranged to supply the cleaning medium to an inner surface of the one teat cup ( 7 ). 
     
     
       8. The arrangement according to  claim 7 , wherein,
 the cleaning device further comprises a rod member ( 30 ) having an inner channel, the outlet opening ( 30   a ) located at an end of the rod member ( 30 ), and 
 the positioning unit is adapted to position the rod member ( 30 ) in the cleaning position inside an inner space of the one teat cup ( 7 ). 
 
     
     
       9. The arrangement according to  claim 6 ,
 the cleaning device ( 10 ) further comprising a coupling member arranged to be releasable connected to a milk conduit ( 48 ) in the milking stalls ( 3 ) such that the cleaning device ( 10 ) is able to supply the cleaning medium into a closed milk conduit circuit comprising the teat cups ( 7 ) and a connected milk conduit ( 7   a ,  45 ,  48 ) in the respective milking stalls ( 3 ). 
 
     
     
       10. The arrangement according to  claim 2 , wherein the cleaning device ( 10 ) is arranged as one of the group consisting of i) at a radially outer edge portion ( 2   b ) of the platform ( 2 ) and ii) at a radially inner portion ( 2   a ) of the platform ( 2 ). 
     
     
       11. The arrangement according to  claim 2 , wherein,
 the cleaning device ( 10 ) comprising a stationary part ( 18 ), 
 the movable part ( 19 ) is provided with plural of said outlet opening ( 30   a ), 
 the movable part ( 19 ) is movable, by the positioning unit, in relation to the teat cups ( 7 ) between the inactive position on the outer side of the platform and the active position with the movable part ( 19 ) extending in over the platform towards the teat cups in a cleaning position with a milking stall ( 3 ), and 
 the cleaning device ( 10 ) is adapted to clean, when in the cleaning position, the teat cups ( 7 ) in the milking stall ( 3 ) with a cleaning fluid supplied to each teat cup ( 7 ) through a respective one of the outlet openings ( 30   a ). 
 
     
     
       12. The arrangement according to  claim 11 , wherein,
 the movable part ( 19 ) further comprises i) a horizontal tubular member ( 26 ) with a connection for connecting to a cleaning liquid tank, and ii) vertical members ( 30 ) arranged on an upper side of the tubular member ( 26 ), each of the vertical members ( 30 ) comprising an inner channel terminating with one of the outlet openings ( 30   a ), and 
 the cleaning fluid is supplied to the teat cups ( 7 ) through tubular member ( 26 ), the vertical members, and the outlet openings ( 30   a ). 
 
     
     
       13. The arrangement according to  claim 12 , wherein,
 the movable part ( 19 ) further comprises a guiding member ( 25 ) arranged to move along a guiding path ( 24 ) of the positioning unit when moving between the active position and the inactive position, 
 the positioning unit comprises i) a cylinder member ( 23 ,  33 ) arranged to provide the positioning of the cleaning device ( 10 ) to the cleaning position, and ii) a control unit ( 11 ) adapted to control the positioning of the cleaning device ( 10 ) to the cleaning position, and 
 the cleaning device ( 10 ) is arranged to supply the cleaning medium to one of i) an outer surface of the teat cups ( 7 ) and ii) an inner surface of the teat cups ( 7 ). 
 
     
     
       14. The arrangement according to  claim 12 , wherein,
 the positioning unit is adapted to position the outlet openings ( 30   a ) of the rod member ( 30 ), in the cleaning position, inside an inner space of the teat cups ( 7 ) so that the cleaning device ( 10 ) supplies the cleaning medium to an inner surface of the teat cups ( 7 ). 
 
     
     
       15. The arrangement according to  claim 11 , wherein, in the inactive position, the movable part ( 19 ) is located radially outside of the outer edge portion ( 2   b ) of the platform ( 2 ). 
     
     
       16. The arrangement of  claim 1 , wherein,
 the teat cups storing device ( 8 ) comprises a movable part ( 8   a ) for holding the teat cups ( 7 ); and 
 the positioning unit ( 44 ) is operatively connected to the movable part ( 8   a ), 
 the positioning part is controlled by the control unit to move the moveable part ( 8   a ) from i) an ordinary position with the movable part ( 8   a ) holding the teat cups ( 7 ) above the platform ( 2 ) available for use in milking an animal ( 1 ) in the milking stall ( 3 ), to ii) the second cleaning position with the movable part ( 8   a ) holding the teat cups ( 7 ) available to the cleaning device for cleaning the teat cups. 
 
     
     
       17. The arrangement according to  claim 16 , further comprising:
 a compensating unit ( 43 ) adapted to provide a motion of the cleaning device ( 10 ) in relation to the platform, which motion compensates for relative motions between the cleaning device ( 10 ) and the platform ( 2 ) during the cleaning process of the teat cups ( 7 ). 
 
     
     
       18. The arrangement according to  claim 17 , wherein the compensating unit comprises a locking member ( 42 ) adapted to lock the cleaning device ( 10 ) and the storing device ( 8 ) in a fixed position in relation to each other in the cleaning position during the cleaning process. 
     
     
       19. The arrangement according to  claim 16 , wherein,
 the platform ( 2 ) is annular, 
 the cleaning device ( 10 ) is arranged radially inside of an inner edge portion ( 2   a ) of the platform ( 2 ), 
 the teat cups storing device ( 8 ) is arranged in each milking stall ( 3 ) in a vicinity of the inner edge portion ( 2   a ) of the platform ( 2 ), and 
 the cleaning position is located radially inside of the platform ( 2 ). 
 
     
     
       20. The arrangement according to  claim 18 , wherein,
 the positioning unit comprises a cylinder member ( 44 ) which moves the moveable part ( 8   a ) of the storing device ( 8 ) from the ordinary position to the cleaning position, 
 the movable part ( 8   a ) comprises one of a pivotable arm and a slidable arm.